Charged with murder in the death of his wife, Howard Richmond remains an active member of the military pending a Canadian Armed Forces review that could result in the warrant officer’s suspension from regular duties.

Richmond, 50, of Winchester, Ont., south of Ottawa, was charged Saturday with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his wife, Melissa Richmond, 28.

“When an incident, a special circumstance, or a professional deficiency occurs that calls into question the member’s suitability for continued service, an administrative review will be initiated to ensure the most appropriate career administrative action is taken,” said Cpt. Joanna Labonte, a Department of National Defence spokeswoman.

PostmediaHoward Richmond, 50, was charged with first-degree murder Saturday morning in an Ottawa court for the slaying of his wife, Melissa Richmond, 28.

Labonte could not say whether Richmond would be suspended or whether any suspension would be with or without pay.

She did say: “The Canadian Armed Forces hold their members to a very high standard of conduct and performance.”

Richmond, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces since 1988, is a geomatics technician currently employed at the Integrated Personnel Support Centre in Ottawa. He has also worked with the Mapping and Charting Establishment.

Richmond has told the media that he was receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and that he has done six overseas tours in Afghanistan and other conflict zones.

One mission in which he took part in Afghanistan involved collecting “unclassified high-resolution colour stereo imagery.” He wrote a first-person account of the mission for the 2009 edition of Canadian Military Mapper, a newsletter published by the Mapping & Charting Establishment.

The mission began around the Easter long weekend in 2009. Richmond writes that advance teams set up instruments to aid in the mapping process throughout Afghanistan, including Kandahar Airfield, Camp Bastion and three southern districts: Tarin Kowt, Qalat, Lashkar Gah.

I carried seven knives and got to fire an American M-60

“I carried seven knives and got to fire an American M-60 (machine gun) from a Chinook . . . and we get paid for this!” he said.

Richmond writes that teams were in the air for up to 13 hours, collecting images approximately every 10 seconds. Their efforts helped in the mapping of 100,000 square kilometres of Afghanistan.

“They say when you do a job well, no one remembers, and if you mess it up you will never be forgotten,” he concludes. “The crew that made up the mission did what should be forgotten, but hopefully will be remembered. We were critically short on training and preparation time, deficient in equipment, but with more morale than we knew what to do with; we surmounted every obstacle as they arose.”

A soldier who served with Richmond in Afghanistan described him as a good team leader for younger troops. He said Richmond was never overly aggressive, showed no signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and did not share any war stories suggesting he had been in a serious firefight.

After the tour ended, the soldier did not talk to Richmond again. The soldier, who does not want to be named, said Richmond went back to Afghanistan in 2010 or 2011. The soldier does not know details of that tour.

Paul Champ, an Ottawa lawyer familiar with legal proceedings involving members of the military, said a big question is whether Richmond will be suspended with or without pay during the trial. An Armed Forces member convicted of murder could expect to be discharged from the military, Champ said, but would not lose accumulated pension benefits.

Richmond reported his wife missing on July 24. Her body was found three days later with multiple stab wounds in a ravine near the South Keys Shopping Centre in Ottawa.

He appeared in court Saturday to hear the first-degree murder charge and is scheduled is appear in court again Tuesday by video link.

Police say a Canadian soldier has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife.

Fifty-year-old Howard Richmond appeared at the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa Saturday morning to face the charge.

PostmediaHoward Richmond, 50, was charged with first-degree murder Saturday morning in an Ottawa court for the slaying of his wife, Melissa Richmond, 28.

CFRA radio is reporting Richmond will appear in court again on Tuesday on the allegation he’s been charged with.

Richmond and his wife Melissa, who was 28, were facing serious financial pressures when she went missing on July 24, the Ottawa Citizen has learned.

Around that time, Howard posted numerous messages on an online forum created to help mentally injured soldiers, sometimes referring to his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The couple were briefly being sued by their bank over the nonpayment of a loan. The Bank of Nova Scotia filed a statement of claim against the Richmonds after they allegedly defaulted on a $139,700 line of credit, according to court documents obtained by the Citizen.

The lawsuit was discontinued shortly after it was filed on July 15 and before anything happened to Melissa Richmond, the Bank of Nova Scotia’s lawyer, John Hamilton, said Friday. Hamilton wouldn’t comment further on why the lawsuit was discontinued.

I feel drained but not bat s——t crazy

Melissa was reported missing on July 24 by her husband, who is a warrant officer with the Canadian military. Her car was found two days later in a parking lot at the South Keys Shopping Centre. Richmond’s body, partially clothed and stabbed several times, was discovered on July 27 in a ravine next to the parking lot.

Melissa’s funeral was held Saturday in Petawawa.

Tribute messages were posted on the website of Neville Funeral Home by people who say they knew Richmond.

One message says that “Melissa was always a like a little ray of sunshine.”

“No matter what kind of day she was having she would always try to see the good in everyone and everything,” the message reads, adding “the world will definitely be a little darker without her.”

Another message from someone who says she knew Melissa in high school describes her as a kind and generous person.

“I remember in grade 12, I was always forgetting to bring money to school for lunch. Melissa would usually buy me lunch if I was hungry, so I wouldn’t have to sit and watch everyone else eat,” the message reads. “She made me feel not so alone in our group of friends.”

The bank’s lawsuit alleged that the couple had taken out a ScotiaLine Credit loan for $139,700 on Feb. 7.

As of July 12, that amount had grown to $141,412.53 with interest. Interest accrued at a rate of $13.53 per day, according to the statement of claim.

“The plaintiff has demanded payment in full … and the defendants have refused or neglected to pay the amounts due,” read the statement of claim.

The loan was secured by a mortgage on a property on Queen Street in Winchester, not the home the couple had recently purchased and been living in at 2598 Summers Road.

The bank was seeking possession of the Queen Street property, as well as liquidated damages of $141,412.52, pre- and post-judgment interest at a rate of 3.5 per cent per annum and the costs of the legal action.

A statement of defence was never filed.

Meanwhile, Howard Richmond was describing his battle with PTSD to a support group.

I really needed to prove it to myself that I could

Included in the soldier’s postings to the forum is a July 19 message in which he claims to have donned his uniform and a mask that day and marched past Parliament Hill and National Defence headquarters.

“So today I put on my cadpats (uniform), my secret squirrel black balaclava and sunglasses and did a ruck march past NDHQ, the Parliament buildings and CFRA in the market with the ‘PTSD is not FACELESS’ flag on a pole on my ruck. I feel drained but not bat s——t crazy.

“I really needed to prove it to myself that I could. I hope it was noticed. I will let you know when I’m going to do it again.” (A “squirrel” in military jargon is a forces member on a secret mission).

And on July 23, the day before Melissa disappeared, Richmond sent the forum an image of what appears to be a phoenix asking them to consider posting on their site.

Superimposed on the image are the words: “Sometimes you just have to die a little inside in order to be Reborn and Rise again as a Stronger and Wiser version of you.”

In other messages, Richmond speaks of his disdain for the military uniform.

After police found Melissa’s body, the forum offered condolences and the opportunity for him to reach out to them 24-7.

“Thoughts & prayers for you tonight, brother,” they told him.

“I have a good support team with me,” he responded. “Over half of them are CF, one is a buddy I have been on tour with.”

Richmond has told other media that he is receiving treatment for PTSD and his wife had been instrumental in helping with his recovery.

The Petawawa-based combat engineer did six overseas tours with the military including at least one in Afghanistan.

Richmond married Melissa when she was just three years out of high school. They had no children and according to friends, she was anxious for his retirement from the military so they could enjoy a prolonged vacation together.

Police found the young woman’s semi-clad body on Sunday morning in a ravine near the South Keys Shopping Centre in the city’s south end. She had suffered multiple stab wounds.

Her gold-coloured 2004 Chrysler Sebring with the personalized number plate “RPGGIRL’ was found in a nearby Denny’s restaurant parking lot.

Howard Richmond posted a message on Facebook asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Winchester Food Bank where he and his wife had been volunteers.